The Efflorescence of Leo

three

Horizontal shards of clean white light hit the faded grey walls of my bedroom.

Through the shutters of my bedroom windows, I could see the cerulean sky in its full beauty, telling me I'd slept in later than intended.

Turning over to look at my bedside table for my phone and realizing it wasn't there had me frazzled.

I began to rummage through the mess that was my white quilted duvet, hoping to find my phone that I must've fell asleep using, but progressively I became more stressed as it was nowhere to be found.

Hauling myself out of bed, my feet were met with the cold tiled floor. I could hear the vacuum screaming through the house. Was Mama really cleaning already?

"Mama!" I called out, figuring it was her cleaning, as the vacuum's morbid screams were soon unfounded.

"Yes, mi cariño, buenos días, or should i say buenos tardes." She looked at me after looking at her watch, the time read 12:43pm. If only I had my phone to check that.

"Mama, I don't know where my phone is." Pathetically I whined, knowing fully well that I wouldn't be able to last long without it.

"Oh cállate, chica, don't you have other things to worry about?" She looked so tired. I wondered what she'd been up to last night, she was home yet her bedroom light was still on. Peculiar for her, as it was such a late hour.

"Pero Mama," I dragged out the 'a' at the end, sounding even more like a 5 year old in the candy aisle than before "You know I won't be able to last much longer without it."

"What are you talking about Serenity, it's been like, 7 minutes since you got up. You're acting like it's been 7 years. Occupy yourself, help me clean maybe?" She added at the end, not really giving me a choice in the matter.

After the vacuuming was done, not that it took much longer given the house we lived in was pokey and too small for comfort, my mother handed me a tainted grocery list.

"Just go to the grocery store near Millera Mall," Handing me a small wad of cash, probably most of her months earnings, she added "It won't take you too long." As I would hope so.

I made my way back to my room, in such a state it seemed a tornado had swept through it.

Rummaging through my cupboards looking for some decent attire, I found a grey crew neck sweatshirt that was buried toward the back of the shelf, and then proceeded to grab a pair of leggings that were somehow easier to find, as they were one of the very few things folded.

I made my way toward the door, and trotted down the two stairs that would lead up to the entrance of our small flat.

My focus on not tripping down the stairs must've been so intense, so important, that I didn't take any notice to the person making their way to my front door.

Hence, I walked right into them.

When I looked up my eyes were met with familiar hazel ones that were plastered on a face wearing such a bored smile, Leo, he didn't seem fazed at all.

"Leo, hi, shit. Sorry what are you doing here?" I questioned.

I took in his appearance whilst waiting for his response. His hair was tousled perfectly and he's upper half was clad with a black t-shirt and as I made my way down his body, I noticed a phone—pink case and all—sticking out of the right pocket of his black jeans. Just as I had made eye contact with it, his hand reached down to pull it out.

"Here," he spoke, gesturing to the phone he was handing out to me.

"Thank you," I exclaimed genuinely. "God, I couldn't live without it." He chuckled softly, lacking any enthusiasm, and due to such a dry response from him, I couldn't help but rethink what I'd just said, and wonder how phone-obsessed and lame I sounded.